2019 is the year that Tom Hanks exploits all of our childhoods collectively as he already starred in the incredible Toy Story 4. And if you’re looking for something a bit calmer than everything coming out of SDCC, Sony Pictures has something just for you. This morning, they dropped the first trailer for A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood. Hanks stars as the PBS celebrity, Fred Rogers. As could be expected, he nails Rogers’ warmth and charm perfectly. By the looks of the trailer, the movie will offer plenty of heartwarming and tear-jerking moments:
As can be seen from the trailer, the movie takes place somewhat late in Rogers’ career. The film is loosely based on a 1998 article by Esquire writer Tom Junod. It will follow a journalist hired to write a piece on Rogers who is skeptical of Rogers’ optimistic message. But as we all know, there was no resisting just how positive Fred Rogers could be. And the movie will undoubtedly feature many lovely moments to display his chief message: everyone is special.
Matthew Rhys (The Americans) will star alongside Hanks as the journalist Lloyd Vogel. Other stars include Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars) and Chris Cooper (American Beauty). Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) is in the director’s chair and Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) have written the script.
Heller and her crew have promised an extremely authentic production. Not only did they shoot in Mister Rogers’ old studio, but they also hired crew members who worked on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. They brought in the same old cameras, props, and bits of Rogers’ wardrobe to recreate the show the best they could.
While the 2018 documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, explored the life of Fred Rogers, Heller has stated this won’t be a biopic. It will focus on one moment of Rogers’ life, exploring how infectiously positive his way of thinking could be. The movie will open on November 22nd, 2019.
